Foods to Never Feed your Dog – Our Top 10

10 Foods Never to Feed your Dog

Everyone loves to give their dogs treats and being part of your family, sometimes you want to spoil them, but what’s good or nice for you to eat does not mean it is right for your pet or dog. Your kindness could even hurt or be dangerous for your pet or dog. So here are 10 foods you should never feed your dog, no matter how nicely they ask.

Onions, Garlic & Chives

Before you scrap the leftover bolognese sauce into your dog’s bowl, know this. The onions and garlic in the sauce can damage a dog’s red blood cells.

If your dog is given regular meals containing these bulbous plants – be it raw onions and garlic in mince meat, cooked leftovers, or the powdered and dehydrated variety often found in packaged foods – regular consumption can lead to haemolytic anaemia.

Macadamia Nuts & Walnuts

It seems like a harmless little treat, but he says macadamia nuts top the list of foods that can devastate dogs. Macadamia nuts contain a toxin that can affect different systems in the body.

Just a few can cause muscle tremors, vomiting, fever, rapid heart rate and weakness to paralysis of the hindquarters. Walnuts can contain a fungus poisonous to dogs which may even lead to death in severe cases.

Coffee & Caffeine

Some dogs like coffee, and some otherwise responsible dog owners think it’s cute to allow their dog to finish the last inch of a cold Starbucks. But caffeine, whether in coffee or soda, can be dangerous for a canine.

Even if you spill coffee, tea or soft drink on the floor, be sure to wipe it up before your dog cleans it up for you. These drinks all contain caffeine, a stimulant that can cause heart palpitations and seizures in dogs.

Chocolate

Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine – two chemicals which affect the heart and nervous system of dogs. As dogs are also unable to metabolise theobromine this chemical builds up in their system.

Any type of chocolate – solid, cocoa powder, or even choc chip cookie crumbs will contain it, but a 4.5kg dog would need to to eat a whole bar of milk chocolate to be in any real danger. Symptoms are vomiting, irregular heartbeat, diarrhoea, restlessness, seizures or even death in extreme cases. Dark chocolate is the most potent for dogs because of its high concentration of caffeine and theobromine.

Advocado

Avocado leaves, fruit, seeds and bark may contain a toxic principle known as persin. The Guatemalan variety, a common one found in stores, appears to be the most problematic. Other varieties of avocado can have different degrees of toxic potential.

Birds, rabbits, and some large animals, including horses, are especially sensitive to avocados, as they can have respiratory distress, congestion, fluid accumulation around the heart, and even death from consuming avocado. While avocado is toxic to some animals, in dogs and cats, we do not expect to see serious signs of illness.

Alcohol & Ethanol

Dogs are far more sensitive to ethanol than humans are. Even ingesting a small amount of a product containing alcohol can cause significant intoxication. Dogs may be exposed to alcohol through drinking alcoholic drinks, such as beer, wine or mixed drinks and raw yeast bread dough.

Alcohol intoxication commonly causes vomiting, loss of coordination, disorientation and stupor. In severe cases, coma, seizures and death may occur. Dogs showing mild signs of alcohol intoxication should be closely monitored, and dogs who are so inebriated that they can’t stand up should be monitored by a veterinarian until they recover.

Grapes & Raisins

Grapes and raisins have recently been associated with the development of kidney failure in dogs. At this time, the exact cause of the kidney failure isn’t clear, nor is it clear why some dogs can eat these fruits without harm, while others develop life-threatening problems after eating even a few grapes or raisins. Some dogs eat these fruits and experience no ill effects—but then eat them later on and become very ill.

Until the cause of the toxicosis is better identified, the safest course of action is to avoid feeding grapes or raisins to your dog. Dogs experiencing grape or raisin toxicosis usually develop vomiting, lethargy or diarrhea within 12 hours of ingestion. Successful treatment requires prompt veterinary treatment to maintain good urine flow.

Raw Eggs

This is a controversial one with many dog owners as they swear eggs are great for their dog’s coat because egg yolks contain biotin, a B-group vitamin responsible for the growth of hair.

While this is true, raw egg whites also contain an enzyme that interferes with the absorption of a particular B vitamin. This can cause skin problems as well as problems with your dog’s coat if raw eggs are fed for a long time.

There is the possibility of food poisoning from bacteria like Salmonella or E. coli.

Fat Trimmings & Bones

Table scraps often contain meat fat that a human didn’t eat and bones. Both are dangerous for dogs. Fat trimmed from meat, both cooked and uncooked, can cause pancreatitis in dogs. And, although it seems natural to give a dog a bone, there are some bones that dogs just shouldn’t gnaw on.

Small and brittle bones like fish and chicken leg bones can break into sharp pieces when chewed on by a dog. Also, cooked bones can do the same thing and can choke or puncture the digestive tract. If you want to give Spot a bone, stick to raw bones that are the right size for your dog – so big bones for big dogs like pork bones or lamb leg bones and smaller bones for little dogs like chicken neck bones.

Gum, Candy & Ice Cream

Candy, gum, toothpaste, baked goods, and some diet foods are sweetened with xylitol. Xylitol can cause an increase in the insulin circulating through your dog’s body. That can cause your dog’s blood sugar to drop and can also cause liver failure.

Initial symptoms include vomiting, lethargy, and loss of coordination. Eventually, the dog may have seizures. Liver failure can occur within just a few days.

Just like some humans, many dogs have lactose intolerance. But even if your dog is okay with milk, it’s not a good idea to give him a lot of ice cream. You’ve heard about the epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the western world, well dogs mirror these problems too.

In summary, there are many foods that humans eat that are not suitable for dogs and can have serious consequences, so it is always best to consult your vet or an authorative source if you are unsure. The Internet and sites like Total Pets, will contain information that may help you.

We hope you found our page about the top “10 foods never to feed your dog” informative, and we are always happy for you to contact us and comment on this page.

/nfs/c11/h03/mnt/193292/domains/totalpets.com.au/html

THE TOTAL PETS NATIONAL NETWORK

Total Pets uses the latest Google technology so your business will be quickly and easily found by pet owners locally and across Australia.

Once your listing has been submitted to our Pet Directory and approved, it will appear in all search results for your area so pet owners can find you quickly and easily.